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49ers CB says openly gay players would not be welcomed on the team

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver has made inflammatory comments regarding homosexuality in football just a few days before Super Bowl XLVII.

Shock jock Artie Lange revealed he had interviewed Culliver at media day Tuesday and aired a segment on his show that night, where the player insisted that any gay players would not be welcome on the team.

"I don't do the gay guys man," said Culliver, whose Niners play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. "I don't do that. No, we don't got no gay people on the team, they gotta get up out of here if they do.

"Can't be with that sweet stuff. Nah…can't be…in the locker room man. Nah."

When quizzed by Lange whether any homosexual athletes would need to keep their sexuality a secret in football, Culliver responded: "Yeah, come out 10 years later after that."

The 49ers released a statement Wednesday in response to Culliver's remarks:

"The San Francisco 49ers reject the comments that were made [Tuesday], and have addressed the matter with Chris. There is no place for discrimination within our organization at any level. We have and always will proudly support the LGBT community."

In the NFL's long history, there has never been an openly gay active player. However, sexual orientation has increasingly come into the spotlight recently.

The Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax saga was believed by many to be a ruse designed to hide his homosexuality, a claim that was vehemently denied by the former Notre Dame defensive star.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has been an outspoken supporter of gay rights, using the profile of Super Bowl week to bring the issue further into the spotlight.

We touched on this very subject in my Sport & Gender class last year, and our class as a whole agreed that professional sports (the NFL in particular) just isn't ready for a homosexual player. Not because they don't belong, but because they are going to be singled out, in good and bad ways. They will have multiple teammates (if not most of the locker room) uncomfortable with it. Opposing players will go out of their way to mentally and physically harm them. The coaching staff/front office will question his mental and physical strengths more than your typical straight player if he has a bad game. The media/fans will simply refer to them as "the gay player." And he will always be "the gay player" even if he is one of the best at his job.

Chris should have danced around the question to avoid the backlash he has received. But even if he did dance around the question or he gave a politically correct answer, it still doesn't change the fact that he and multiple NFL players feel this way.

I don't think it's a non story. I find it sad that people still feel this way... that he wouldn't welcome a gay teammate is sad. He's probably been a teammate with a homosexual throughout his football career. I bet he'd be surprised that it wouldn't be a big deal if he did have a gay teammate on the 49ers.

As far as the question if pro sports are ready for a homosexual players to be out while in the league... I think it would take someone of a high star power to be that first athlete for the climate to change.